Wednesday, August 19, 1987

I don’t know about you but I’m fed up to here with the
cutesy little newspaper story. that comes out every December
Setting out how much 12 days of Christmas costs.

I mean, who cares that two turtle doves will set you back
$21.37 or eight milking maids cost $26.80, up 1.7 per cent
from the previous year?

It would take six or seven doves to feed my f family if 1 could
get them to eat which |. wouldn’t even try to do even at
Christmas. And much as I’m in favor of hard working maids,
if | owned eight they woudn’t spend their time milking.

Toting up the cost of 12 days of Christmas is a silly w aste of
time. If newspapers insist on devoting space to lists then let's
make sure the information is practical and useful.

To this end, I have compiled the current cost of 12. days of .
Summer. (holidays) the cost of which, surprisingly, is con-
siderably under the $17,905.10 that Christmas costs.

Starting from the bottom, 12 tanks of gas for the average
vehicle figures out at $24.97 each. Total $299.64.

Eleven motels for the average family of four will cost at
least $98.50 a night — plus damage claims. According to re-
cent hospitality industry statistics, the average family pays
$38.17 a week for motel damage such as cracked mirrors,
clogged toilets, broken chairs and punctured water beds.
Total $1,159.34.

The cost of 10 days of eating varies by family. Some are
real oinkers while others live on celery. Local restaurateurs
say they can suck as. much as $20 a head out of anyone who
pays for three meals a day. Our family of four would
therefore. spend $80 a day, plus another $300 for chips,
cheezies and other junk eaten in the car. Total $1,100.
Officials say tourists will visit nine roadside attractions,

like zoos, go-carts and houses built with bottles, for every two
weeks on the road. Add on $180.

If your family is anything like mine, eight days of shopping
is an absolute minimum. And it’s holiday time remember so
there are no holds barred — $1,600 not including interest on
your Visa account.

Wherever you go there will be relatives lurking and they
like to eat and drink. Seven relatives visited is $50 each, or
$350.

Speaking of drinking, some fortification is necessary to
wash dust. from your throat and tension from your eyes after

a day of driving and shopping. The sound of six bottles open-
ing comes to $140 (we're using good stuff.)

Now we all know there’s nothing on TV these days,
especially since the Stanley Cup and NBA finals are over and
all that’s left is the Canadian Fumble League, So you can be
sure there’ll be cries of ‘‘let’s go toa movie’’ almost every
evening. With perseverance, movie nights can be held to five
in a two-week vacation for a total cost of $90 — plus $10 for
popcorn.

At only $11.86 the cost of four walks in parks is by far the
cheapest item on our list. The $11.86 pays for the Band Aids,
mosquito spray, sun lotion and sting stop.

In determining the cost of a vacation, any expenses incur-
red at home which would not otherwise have cropped up must

also be included. Three repairmen calling (plumber, glazier .

and gardener) will average out at $135 cach.

We live on an island and everyone knows. that any holiday
worth its wear and tear is taken on the Mainland. Two ferry
crossings $70.

The last cost is incurred within a block or two of home. It
starts with the kids trying to kill each other in the back seat,
continues with the driver flailing away with his free hand and
ends with the sound of one fender crunching.

You can either handle the repair bill yourself. or. claim
through ICBC and pay higher premiums for a few years. Add
$562.91 to the cost of your holiday.

Even so, the 12 days of Summer cost you only $6,978.75
and you have memories to last a lifetime.

That’s a whole lot better.than a yard full of messy swans
and geese, 23 noisy pipers and drummers, and a jumble of
lords and ladies trampling lawn into mud.

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| Sat., Aug. 22
§ Moose Hall

Editor:

» fight’’, -Wed., Aug..5/87. :

- It-seems very’ strange to me
< that the. B.C.: government
“questioning «:the “right.

_- James. Douglas to-make treaties

and owe,owe:
‘ - astronomical ‘bill’ in’ back: rent,

‘own ancestral lands.
tax money sould be used to take
away from these people.
yorthy of: notice. The. native
yeople welcomed -the first’ white
people; sheltered, fed and
helped them with exploration,
“They. didn’t. choose. to | be
enemies, but friends to-us who

612, also Matt 2513 e par-

ticularly. vs, 3S).. It. is > ap-
propriate that. the Christian
Editor:

Our. government,’ in. its
finite wisdom, has now decided

ito go along with our. official
B.C. flower (which, the experts
‘tell us, is not really a flower at
‘all, but. is: instead, leaves, or
‘bracts’), The tree will: follaw
the quest for an-official BOC,
3 bird, of which Wey: the publie,:

7 Gi ” ent ” az

Thank you for. featuring, .
“-with- a front ~ page.’ headline:
-“Church backs Native treaty»

of Sir

- with the native people when the.
treaties: have been: accepted. all
these years. If they are: not valid’
‘then’ Iexpect’ this .wholearea..,....}
. belongs: to the. Native: people.
-them an

‘or we should all go: home to our.
It’s ‘cer-.

tainly against my. wishes that my.
ever the little they. have left _

There are several other things —

"were strangers. (See Isaiah 58:vs

in- |
(government
B.C. isto have an official tree .

atthe

church should support
and it is good to see the church
taking... action

here: the ‘land’ was rich,

even
Look.what we've done with the

land we call ours in just over.
100. years, and how long will it:
take to ravage the rest of it if we
get control of. it? The Native
‘people lived here with . respect
for. nature and for the creator.

for thousands of years and ‘I,
for one appreciate .this:) We
could: and should learn: form
them. and take better care of

what is now under our control. I

don’t -feel guilty about what

happened before. 1 :was born, -
- because | had no control over it.

Also. every generation’ makes
mistakes and aimless guilt) is

often destructive. | would feel

guilty, however: if ! did nothing

will be graciously allowed a
choice from. only
selected of
course.)

~Lassume. we will’ only be
allowed to select from a
chosen trees alse, so let's look
five

be “the majestic

‘iyoothoo, this spot'e nko Yoo-hoo . ves moe

them

1 to support. its.
standards of. peace and justice -—
- without justice: there. is soon no *
: peace. _

= When. vhite ceaple first caine:
sthe-
: forests were. magnificent, the air.”
and water were clean: and the”
“$eas lakes ‘and: streams were’full’ >
of fish = and. other creatures. .
More. than. -most:of. us’ now.-can.:
“remember: « or’

-boats —
- storms.

~ marinas |
whereever

seven,”

Tew:

principal conifer:
“species we all know oft could
Douglas Fir,”
named, 1 believe after acertain

PENINSULA LIFE

. along With leaves, back to front

© fruit trees. of the Okanigan of
‘course, bul Pdon't think any of
- those. would truly reflect the im:

- greed,
- us

By horseriders

_ Reader wants Saanichton Bay preserved

or said nothing about the: at>
tempt to encroach.on the native

~ peoples traditional fishing areas.

at this time.
~ One last point. An alternative =.

to marinas (which take up shore =
~-and water and habitat) should
- be. used. Today,:a Sunday with’.
“perfect. “weather,
some of the. marinas in- the area .

“boats: were out ‘the rest. were tied.
"to the, docks
“imagine.

or:-in their ‘boat®:. ;
houses; it’s. lessthan five. per

“cent most of the’time, even in.
summer.
necessary’: waste. Some: places.

Surely: this’ is -un-"-

already have’ parking lots for

boats, where they sit.on. trailers
or blocks ina. protected area, .

“with an.attendant who will put

your boat into the water for you™

~ when you need it.

This makes lot of sense, and
might: be cheaper also, and: the —
would be safe from.

This different. marina
would) mean. that
could) be situated:
boat .ramps,
breakwaters and ‘parking area

concept

_were available, (even the owner
could Perk their carin tne: space

Reader votes for cedar as ‘official’

politician and being logged to
almost -certain - extinction, Or
perhaps te Hemlock, the
Balsam Fir, the Sitka Spruce, or
the Cedar, all also on. the en-.
dangered list due to being used:

Jcommercially. Now, what do we
have left that won't: be consum-
ed by eternal -harvesting?) We
can't use the Dogwood. again,
it's already our-official: flower,
or whatever. The Arbutus might

“bevokay, it runs ‘contrary: to

other. trees, © shedding its. bark.

against all logics. réarend about.

“Sace. if- you will, much like our
- government: operates, Or: how.
about the Horse Chestnut, com”

monly. referred ty in England as
a 'Conker'. tree? We have the.

age of our mighty provinee with ‘
its huge tracts of forests, | ;

I personally would. vote for
the Cedar: should vit somehow:
survive the white man’s need or -

as it is synonymous with
_ country” 4 “indigenous

Communicate

| ff ditor:

What in earth is Muriel:

Stone’s, point about thes read »
around: Pat Bay? Perhaps: her

argument = taken to. extremes

that
debt of
Saanich.

Phevinnuenda:
Owe i

gratitude. to. Nerth

council for trails isnot valid.
~ Sunset: Riding Club has. been
eouneil’s
cordinating group for-some tine -

official oarails - car

Fueling could take place on-.

1: looked.:at=:°

totally unsuitable,

their boat had been Secupyine).

shore, reducing danger of. spills
into . the. ocean. And. pressure

could be taken off the sheltered | 7
bays which: marinas monopolize: -

‘more and more.
‘These - ‘sheltered’ bays

play: and. people go for..picnics

= and the like; or:walks ‘and where”
‘children can also safely learn: tobe

handle -row. boats, canoes’ etc.

* They are also. extremely impor--
tant habitat for. the propogation.
of: many. marine ‘creatures, °in-
‘cluding: herring and squid..If-we
plan to have:fish in. future we ~

must not destroy these essential
nursery areas.” .

It isnot just the native people _

who’ will ‘suffer -if: Saanichton
Bay is‘used for a marina, it is

the whole marine food web and

‘itis all of us. Its isn’t. the eel
grass that should be moved, it’ s
the proposed marina, »

It won’t grow except where it =}
now grows anyway. If. another
area is suitable. for. eel grass it.
will already have eel grass in it.

Naney Wigen

tree.

cultures and history...

--. For thousands of years before |
the
disguised as settlers or con-.

first real estate agents
verters, stepped. on our shores
and began to decimate the coun-
try’s > natural’ resources,’

native people’ had. used:

They knew how to cut planks

for their longhouses and lodges -

“without: felling. the tree, and to.
strip: bark: from it. to. make» a
and > eh
other items: without killing the |

“tree which was left standing and.
still able: to continue growing.” ~
they ae
~ want: public. input on this, sub- =:
__jeet as well as the symbolic bird, =.
E which means that when the final-
«count.

clothes, | baskets, - ropes, |

tells’ us

“Govern ment

decides. the tree most.
representative of the: province,

they :will) probably ignore our
obvious choice anyway and pick,
will be.

one themselves

that

Nort h Saanich

over. Pat: Bay

cand. members have worked is

volunteers” (unpaid) to open

footpaths, hiking: and “bridle »
trails all over: the municipality.

i see NOt just for horses.
could beto ban abl trattie trou.

© -albroads: and: thereby eliminate
traffic accidents,

Kiders would. love: to avoid.

Pat Bay but the John Road trail
cannot be. completed because a.
Jocal Jand-owner will not come -

to terms with council regarding

a four oc five foot neces at Nie:

east end.

Let's solve problems by com-,

munic ALAN.

Chris Daman
“North Saanich’

| in Saanichton

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and

| Furiture Quality Materials of
coves are-where children used.to. |

the ff
‘the f
Cedar as an intrical and essen-
tial partof their.exisiance, |

Reg Davis.

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